SHANNON’S DRIVE-IN: STRANGE DARLING

Shannon takes a rural serial killer trip through the crime thriller Strange Darling, and we want to know if it really is a spiritual sequel to Frailty!

After a one-night stand, a serial killer goes on a murder spree in rural Oregon.

Director: JT Mollner

Writer: JT Mollner

Stars: Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Ed Begley, Jr., Barbara Hershey

Near the end of the 2024 film Strange Darling, a character states, “All I see are devils,” making this the second week in a row where I’m reviewing a movie where a character is convinced they can see demons (last week it was 2001’s Frailty).

Also for the second week in a row, I’m looking at a movie that’s tricky to review, due to the nature of the twists and turns of where the story takes you, so let’s start with a one sentence summary: a serial killer in rural Oregon goes on a rampage after what was supposed to be a one-night stand.

If you’re still with me after that one sentence, then I can continue by saying there’s a whole subversion of expectations here once the movie starts. After we get our requisite production logos, we get an unusual title card which states, “Shot entirely on 35mm film,” before giving an introduction to our two leads, the Lady (Willa Fitzgerald) and the Demon (Kyle Gallner). After the opening credits, our story is set up in six chapters and is told out of sequence. Then it throws you into an arthouse crime thriller straight out of 1995 and the ride begins with a car chase so thrilling and shot so magnificently it’s hard to focus on being annoyed by the pretensions of the words “art house.”

The out-of-sequence chapters are jarring as you set your mind into following the story and figuring out what the hell’s going on in the story, but trust in director JT Mollner. He knows exactly what he’s doing. All you know is some shit went down between the Lady and the Demon and eventually you get to that part (because Strange Darling can be slow at times, but it’s also worth it to stick with it and let some of the dreamlike atmosphere and character eccentricities take you away).

This movie makes you sit up and pay attention. It takes it up a notch with each chapter. Overall, Strange Darling wouldn’t work as well without the out-of-time sequences. It also wouldn’t work as well without the cinematography and a soundtrack full of dreamy female voices wafting through and enhancing scenes with a dark surrealism. There’s a sense of the giallo here, a movie painted in bright reds and blues, but Americanized with a dirty sense of fuckery. And like a giallo, sometimes you just have to let it fill your senses with the experience of a movie rather than paying attention to the logistics of the plot. Add in strong performances by Fitzgerald and Gallner, who aspire to both draw you in and throw you off guard with their cat-and-mouse dynamic, wondering if you’re ever really seeing the true people the characters are inside.

Back to the quote at the beginning of this review: there is a couple of references to the serial killer seeing devils. It’s yet another thing trying to screw with you and ties back into the movie Frailty. Is the killer somehow in that world? Do we have another demon slayer on our hands? Is there something much bigger going on rather than being contained to the world of the small Texas town we left last week? It’s an interesting theory to think about, and you can see clues there, but also might break you brain if you think too hard about it…but that’s the goal of this film, isn’t it?

Overall, it’s not going to be a film for everyone. The whole thing is a glorious mish-mash of styles from De Palma to Lynch, with spots of The Texas Chains Saw Massacre thrown in. Also, in its willingness to subvert expectations, some parts can come off as problematic in its portrayal of gender roles, but that can be a whole other discussion after the credits role. Strange Darling aims to challenge its viewer. Its ultimate goal is to be thrilling, unpredictable, and good-looking (thank you to cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi…yes, actor Giovanni Ribisi…for making such a beautiful movie to look at).

Strange Darling is a crazy ride which is going to have some people getting off near the start. It’s also going to have some people enjoying the hell out of it, with its dips and turns and race towards the finish line. Watch it and discuss the theories and ideas later, because a film like this is made for conversation.

Shannon Grant is a writer, performer, adventurer, and horned cryptid living in the wilds of upstate New York. Her work can be found in many small press anthologies such as A Guide to Useless Sidekicks, Catskill Chaos, and The Lizzie Borden House Anthology. She is currently at work on a vampire novella. When not writing, she can be found haunting drive-in movie theaters, karaoke bars, and looking for ghosts in the woods.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding